Kim Jong-nam
Kim Jong-nam | |
|---|---|
Kim in 2001 | |
| Born | 10 May 1971 Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Died | 13 February 2017 (aged 45) Sepang District, Selangor, Malaysia |
| Cause of death | Assassination (Nerve Agent poisoning) |
| Alma mater | Kim Il Sung University |
| Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Spouses |
|
| Partner | So Yong-la |
| Children | 6, including Kim Han-sol |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Kim family |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | North Korea |
| Branch | Korean People's Army Ground Force |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김정남 |
| Hanja | 金正男 |
| RR | Gim Jeongnam |
| MR | Kim Chŏngnam |
Kim Jong-nam (Korean: 김정남, Korean: [kim.dzɔŋ.nam]; 10 May 1971 – 13 February 2017) was the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. From roughly 1994 to 2001, he was considered the heir apparent to his father. He was thought to have fallen out of favor after embarrassing the regime in 2001 with a failed attempt to visit Tokyo Disneyland with a false passport, although Kim himself said his loss of favor had been due to advocating reform.
Kim Jong-nam was exiled from North Korea c. 2003, becoming an occasional critic of his family's regime. His younger paternal half-brother, Kim Jong Un, was named heir apparent in September 2010. On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam was assassinated with the nerve agent VX in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, widely believed to have been perpetrated by North Korean agents, alongside previous failed assassination attempts.
In 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported that former US officials had stated that Kim Jong-nam had been a CIA source.